Thank goodness for Fridays. I mean really, what would we do without them??!?

I can't say my Friday night is all that exciting though. I'm sitting on my bed with wet hair (because I finally decided it was about time I showered..ew!) waiting to be summoned upstairs to babysit. No matter, I'm not really in the going out sort of mood anyway. The past two nights I've gone to bed at about 8:30 as I'm doing my best to fight off a sore throat which I think is now turning into a cold. Let me tell you though, this is a doosey of a sore throat. I wake up in the middle of the night forgetting that it hurts and I'm in for a painful shock when I swallow. I can also feel it when I turn my head from side to side. No good.

Tomorrow, against my better judgement, I'm probably going to go hiking. I've been wanting to go for a while now and it's supposed to be beautiful outside. Maybe I'll wake up and miraculously be healed of my sore throat (or maybe I'll wake up and just pretend I'm miraculously healed). Either way, I'm excited to spend some time in the fresh air, exhausting my body through means other than chasing children around all day.

On Sunday I'm going to the wedding of a friend from high school. Then in two weeks, one of my best friends from high school is also getting married and I'm in that wedding! My friends are starting to get married. They are going to have husbands...and that is weird. I'm excited for them and yet, glad it's not me. I feel like the possibilities of life are just starting to seem bigger than a job, a house, and a marriage, and I suppose I fear a relationship at this point in my life would ground me. Maybe that's a rational fear...maybe it's not...all I can say is I'm content with life at the moment. I have decided that anyone I date in the future better love Ukraine. And orphans. And coffee. (Though I guess the coffee part isn't really a deal breaker)

So that's it. I'll end this pointless blog with high hopes of a good weekend and the wonderful knowledge that next week is THE LAST WEEK OF SCHOOL!!

Current Coutdowns:Last day of school: 10 Days..8 of those being work daysLast day of work: 36 days...23 work days (not counting days off)Leave for California: 65 daysTraining in Cali begins: 68 daysLeave for Russia: ~3.5 months

Time is passing quickly. It doesn't feel like too long ago that all of those numbers were in the triple digits and now the arrival of each of them will soon be a reality. I've been counting down for a while now and honestly,I've often wanted to just get through the day so I could cross it off. Yet lately I've been realizing the need to live in the moment, to search for the lessons in the here and now, and practice a lifestyle of gratitude. Two Sundays ago I heard something at church that rang particulary true to me. So often we have dreams and passions and prayers that we are just waiting for God to fulfill. Whether we realize it or not, it is almost as if we believe life will only truly begin upon the fulfillment of such dreams. And yet- life, joy, love, lessons, beauty, and God can all be found waiting for us in the meantime. While I'm busy counting down and trying to get through the day, the opportunity to truly live is slipping through the cracks. God is faithful enough to reside in the mundane, everyday occurances, and big enough to use them to bring about beauty, growth, and change. So tomorrow, as I wake up to a new day, I will continue to look towards the future with great anticipation and excitement, but I will also find contentment and joy in what God has blessed me with in the meantime. Life is truly a beautiful gift. It's time I start living like I actually believe that.

About Me

I'm living in a big world that just keeps on getting bigger. No matter where I am, there are people I love and miss. I guess this is just another beautiful and painful reality of life. I'm learning to risk, dare, try, believe, and hope. Basically, I'm just learning to love.